Throughout the coming weeks, the University of Minnesota will host numerous commencement ceremonies, recognizing thousands of students across its five campuses.
On the Twin Cities campus,10 ceremonies return to historic Northrop one year after its state-of-the-art revitalization project was completed.
Notable speakers participating in this year’s ceremonies include:
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page will address graduates of the U of M’s Law School at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 16 at Northrop. Page served as the first African-American Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court starting in 1992. Previously, Page played defensive tackle from 1967-1978 for the Minnesota Vikings before playing for the Chicago Bears from 1978-1981. He is the founder of the Page Education Foundation, which assists students of color with post-secondary education in exchange for their commitment to spend time volunteering in the community.
Senator Amy Klobuchar will address the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Labovitz School of Business and Economics and Swenson College of Science and Engineering at 10:30 a.m. and the College of Education and Human Services Professions, College of Liberal Arts, and School of Fine Arts at 3 p.m., Saturday, May 16, Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth. Senator Klobuchar is the first woman elected to represent the state of Minnesota in the United States Senate. She has prioritized working with Democrats and Republicans on legislation focused on moving the country forward. Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar headed the largest prosecutor’s office in Minnesota for eight years, making the prosecution of violent and career criminals her top priority.
C. D. Mote, Jr., President of the National Academy of Engineering and Regents Professor, University of Maryland, College Park will deliver the commencement address for the College of Science and Engineering’s 7 p.m. ceremony on Friday, May 15 at Mariucci Arena. Having held an endowed chair in mechanical systems at Berkeley University, Mote chaired the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1987-1991. During this time, the National Research Council (NRC) ranked its graduate program effectiveness the highest in the country. In 1998, Mote was recruited to the presidency of the University of Maryland, College Park, a position he held until 2010 when he was appointed Regents Professor. Mote’s recognitions from the University of California, Berkeley, include the NAE Founders Award, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Medal, and the Humboldt Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany, among others. He holds three honorary doctorates and two honorary professorships.
Former U.S. Diplomat Brian Atwood will address graduates of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 17 at Ted Mann Concert Hall. As a professor and former dean of the Humphrey School retiring in May 2015, Atwood is a diplomat with extensive peacekeeping and international development experience. He is a former administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) during the Clinton Administration, and served as the former assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State for Congressional Relations during the Carter Administration. Most recently, Atwood served on the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's Panel on Peace Operations, and has also chaired the the Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
The complete commencement schedule, including speakers for the University’s colleges and schools, is as follows:
Arts, Sciences and Engineering Graduate Commencement Ceremony: Rebecca Bergman, President of Gustavus Adolphus College and former Medtronic vice president, 1 p.m., Friday, May 1, Mariucci Arena, 1901 4th St. S.E., Minneapolis.
GLBTA Programs Office, Office for Equity and Diversity: Kayva Yang, Community builder, artist, non-profit fundraiser, U of M alum, 6 p.m., Monday, May 4, Mississippi Room, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis.
Multicultural Celebration of Achievement: Lee Pao Xiong, Director of the Center for Hmong Studies, Concordia University, 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 4th St. S., Minneapolis.
University Honors Program: Karen Hanson, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, 7 p.m., Thursday, May 7, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
University of Minnesota Morris: Joyce Sutphen, Minnesota Poet Laureate, 1:30 p.m., Saturday, May 9, Morris Campus Mall.
University of Minnesota Crookston: David G. Ekman, retired CIO of Multiband Corporation, 2 p.m., Saturday, May 9, Lysaker Gymnasium at the UMC Sports Center, 2900 University Ave., Crookston.
College of Education and Human Development Graduate Students: Carlos Mariani Rosa, Executive Director, Minnesota Education Equity Partnership, and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1 - 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
College of Education and Human Development Undergraduate Students: Eric Kaler, University of Minnesota President, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14, Mariucci Arena.
College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences Undergraduates: Lori Watso, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community secretary-treasurer, 7 p.m., Friday, May 15, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
School of Nursing: Brooks Jackson, dean of the Medical School and vice president for Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, 2 p.m., May 15, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
School of Dentistry: Leon Assael, D.M.D., Dean, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, 10 a.m. Friday, May 15, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
College of Design: Doug Powell, Design Principal, IBM Design, 3 p.m., Saturday, May 16, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
University of Minnesota Rochester: Dr. Robb Dunbar, associate professor, Center for Learning Innovation; Larissa Vosejpka, BS in Health Professions Student; Joseph Inhoffer, B.S.; 11 a.m., Saturday May 16, Mayo Civic Center Auditorium, 30 Civic Center Dr. S.E., Rochester.
College of Biological Sciences: Eri Gentry, Research manager, Institute for the Future, Founder, BioCurious and Livly, 2 p.m. Sunday May 17, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
College of Liberal Arts: Santino Fontana, voice of “Prince Hans” in Frozen and graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, 11 a.m., Sunday, May 17, Mariucci Arena.
Carlson School of Management Graduate and Undergraduate Students: John G. Stumpf, Chairman, President and CEO Wells Fargo & Company, MBA alum, 9 a.m. (undergraduate) and 1 p.m. (graduate), Monday, May 18, Mariucci Arena.
School of Public Health: Penny Wheeler, M.D., President & CEO of Allina Health, 5 p.m., Monday, May 18, Northrop, 84 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis.
- Categories:
- Agriculture and Environment
